The second graders have become rock hounds and detectives. They are busy investigating what a rock is, and what the three main groups of rocks are. By learning about the rock cycle, the students can now tell you how each of the groups of rocks are formed, and what are the characteristics of these rocks that set them apart from each other. They found out that some igneous or "fire-made" rocks are shiny or glassy, or maybe they are sparkly, and even some can be very lightweight. The students learned that sedimentary rocks are made from sediments compacted together and that they might even contain a fossil or two. They even learned that rocks can be changed into metamorphic rocks by heat and pressure, and these rocks are very hard. Take a look in the science notebooks at their great diagram of the rock cycle and ask them a few questions about how rocks are made.
The second graders head off to the Schlitz Audubon for more extensive work on rocks and soil. After they return, the students will be back in the lab to learn about fossils, make some mold and cast fossils, and learn about "petrifaction". Do you know what that is? Check back in a few weeks to find out.
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